Tag Archives: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

City officials announced a .nyc web address for New Yorkers and businesses on Tuesday.

“Having our own unique, top-level domain puts NYC at the forefront of the digital landscape and creates new opportunities for our small businesses,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “They’ll now be able to identify themselves as connected to NYC, one of the world’s strongest and most prestigious brands.”

NYC is one of the first cities in the world to be granted a geographic top-level domain by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the nonprofit private organization responsible for overseeing the distribution of IP addresses and domain names. With .nyc, ICANN expands on already existing domains such as .com, .org and .edu.

Officials believe that the introduction of .nyc will allow businesses to identify their local roots and lead to a burst in economic activity.

“Small businesses benefit from a strong online presence, and the .nyc domain will give NYC’s small businesses an extra boost by making them more accessible and allowing them to build off the NYC brand,” said Small Business Services Commissioner Robert Walsh.

In order to register for a .nyc domain, registrants will have to have a primary place of residence in NYC with a physical address or a “bona fide presence” in the city, meaning regularly performing lawful activities within the city and maintaining an office or other facility in the city. Registration for .nyc addresses will open in late 2013 and fees are to be determined.